This invention relates to a suspension mechanism for vehicles and more particularly to an improved independent suspension system for a steered wheel of a vehicle.
A wide variety of suspension systems have been proposed for motor vehicles. One of the most commonly used type of suspension system employs a double wishbone type of construction having a upper and lower wishbone shaped suspension arms that have spaced apart pivot points to the vehicle frame and/or body and which carry an axle carrier at their outer end on which the wheel is suspended. Equal or unequal length wishbones are employed for this purpose. However, when the wheel is steered as in the case of a front wheel, then this type of suspension system presents certain difficulties in that the contact patch between the wheel and the ground varies in response to both suspension travel and steering angle. As a result, the traction on the steering wheel can degrade in response to variations in either position.
Also, the use of the spaced apart suspension points of each of the suspension arms on the body and/or frame gives rise to problems in connection to location and alignment.
It is, therefore, a principal object to this invention to provide an improved suspension system for a vehicle wheel and particularly a steered vehicle wheel.
It is a further object to this invention to provide an improved suspension system for a steered wheel that employs a pair of suspension arms but wherein the contact patch between the tire and ground is not significantly changed during suspension travel or steering movement.
It is a further object to this invention to provide a suspension system for a steered wheel in which the contact patch between the wheel and the ground is maintained substantially uniform during all movements of the wheel.
It is a further object to this invention to provide an improved suspension system for a vehicle wheel that is simple in operation and highly affective.